Heart failure (HF) is a complex clinical syndrome resulting from any structural or functional cardiac disorder impairing the ability of the ventricles to fill with or eject blood. The approach to pharmacologic treatment has become a combined preventive and symptomatic management strategy. Ideally, treatment should be initiated in patients at risk,… (More)

Ballistocardiography, the measurement of the reaction forces of the body to cardiac ejection of blood, is one of the few techniques available for unobtrusively assessing the mechanical aspects of cardiovascular health outside clinical settings. Recently, multiple experimental studies involving healthy subjects and subjects with various cardiovascular… (More)

Coronary artery disease is a major contributor to the progression of left ventricular systolic dysfunction and heart failure (HF). Recognizing that coronary artery disease is a leading cause of HF in the United States is critical to reducing mortality resulting from this condition. Although some patients may be candidates for mechanical revascularization to… (More)

A cute heart failure syndromes (AHFS) poses unique diagnostic and management challenges. This syndrome has recently received attention from researchers, clinicians, regulatory agencies, and the pharmaceutical industry. However , there is no consensus on its definition, epidemiology, pathophysiology, appropriate therapeutic options, and directions for future… (More)

BACKGROUND
The prognostic value of serum sodium in patients hospitalized for worsening heart failure has not been well defined.
METHODS AND RESULTS
The Outcomes of a Prospective Trial of Intravenous Milrinone for Exacerbations of Chronic Heart Failure (OPTIME-CHF) study randomized 949 patients with systolic dysfunction hospitalized for worsening heart… (More)

BACKGROUND
Admission measures of renal function (blood urea nitrogen [BUN], estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR]) in patients hospitalized for worsening heart failure are predictors of in-hospital outcomes. Less is known about the changes and relationships among these variables and the postdischarge survival rate.
METHODS AND RESULTS
In a… (More)

Histologic features of dysplastic nevi include varying degrees of pattern atypia, cytologic atypia, and host response. The purpose of this prospective study was to determine the prevalence of these histologic features in benign acquired nevi. Fifty-eight junctional and compound nevi from 26 volunteer subjects were excised and examined. All nevi met each of… (More)

Sudden cardiac deaths account for 350,000 to 380,000 deaths in the United States annually. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators have improved sudden death outcomes in patients with heart failure, but only a minority of patients with defibrillators receives appropriate therapy for ventricular arrhythmias. The risk prediction for sudden death and selection… (More)

BACKGROUND
Data are sparse regarding the association of stable body mass index (BMI) over the long term with metabolic syndrome components in young adults.
METHODS AND RESULTS
Participants in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study, including white and black adults 18 to 30 years of age at the initial examination in 1985 to 1986, were… (More)